06/14/13

If you didn’t hear the news, Facebook has jumped on the hashtag bandwagon. Beginning this week, Facebook joins Instagram, Tumblr and Pinterest as a social media site that uses hashtags to allow users to see what people are saying about a topic or event. Here are four reasons we are excited about Facebook adding hashtags: Continue Reading

06/06/13

Red Shoes PR had the opportunity this week to hear from Jay Rifenbary, an author and speaker, as he presented his “No Excuse! An action plan for success – Incorporating core values, accountability and balance into your life and career.” It wasn’t the average motivational business seminar – it’s probably the only one that all Continue Reading

05/31/13

In case you didn’t hear, yesterday news broke that the Chicago Sun Times would be laying off their entire photo staff, effectively immediately. One of the main reasons the paper cited was that “the business was changing rapidly” and their audience was “seeking more video content with their news” than ever before. These days we Continue Reading

05/23/13

In the wake of the recent tornado in Oklahoma, I thought now might be a good time to revisit social media practices during times of national crisis or tragedy. During hard times, it is especially important to be cognizant of what types of messages your company is putting out into the social media universe. Sounding Continue Reading

05/16/13

Downsizing, layoffs, pay cuts, benefit changes, restructuring or bad reviews. No matter what the difficult news is or the reason for delivering it, there are certain considerations that must be made in these situations. Here are some tips for senior management on how to make the best out of delivering difficult news to your employees. Continue Reading

05/10/13

It seems like every time I start to feel like I have an understanding of how Facebook works, something else changes that throws me completely off. One thing that has been particularly irritating is changes to the NewsFeed due to Facebook’’s EdgeRank. Even when providing great content, only a small fraction of people who like Continue Reading

05/01/13

  Last Friday, Karen Schlieve and I attended the Partnership for Community Resilience – Critical Infrastructure Restoration Workshop, which was put on by Southeast Wisconsin Homeland Security Partnership, Inc. The morning session featured the following private companies sharing their emergency preparedness strategies: We Energies, American Transmission Company, Time Warner Cable and AT&T. The afternoon was Continue Reading

04/26/13

When we get a call from a client or company going through a crisis, one of the first items that we grab from our toolkit is our crisis communications checklist. It’s a simple list of starter questions to help generate next steps and answers to some of the critical questions that you will face within Continue Reading

04/23/13

As public relations professionals, one of our goals is to help our clients tell their stories and share their messages in ways that are exciting and original. It isn’t about simply pitching a story, but creating a distinctive angle – giving the media and other target audiences something they haven’t heard before. Set the standard Continue Reading

04/18/13

Think about your favorite industry leader. What sets them apart from others in the field? Chances are, they have a willingness to offer advice and share lessons learned with others. Being positioned as a thought leader has many perks. It should help further your professional network, enhance your visibility in the marketplace and lead to Continue Reading

03/25/13

Whether you are in a job interview, an employee being asked by an acquaintance what you do at your job or a CEO of a company being asked what your company does, it is important to have an elevator speech prepared. Elevator speeches should be concise (30-60 seconds) and leave a strong first impression. If Continue Reading

02/04/13

In a world that continues to transition toward online conversation, it is more important than ever to remember the value of face-to-face or verbal communication. In public relations, sending an email is a quick and efficient way to communicate with clients, colleagues and the media. But is this convenient tool relied upon too much? If Continue Reading

01/31/13

“If you lose money for the firm, I will be very understanding. If you lose reputation for the firm, I will be ruthless.” -Warren Buffett Whether announcing company news or dealing with a crisis, someone from your company will inevitably be working with the media. It’s important for your spokesperson to go through a formal Continue Reading

01/11/13

As someone who specializes in health care PR, I spend a lot of time around nurses and I’ve always been struck by how well they handle crisis. First of all, they’ve seen everything, so nothing seems to faze them. They are also masters at coming up with a plan quickly and then making sure it’s Continue Reading

12/13/12

Our jobs require us to work closely with CEOs and other c-suite executives. It can be intimidating to be called into these offices, but our jobs depend on our ability to give good counsel when it’s required. To add to that stress, depending on your client or industry, most of your interaction with these executives Continue Reading

12/10/12

As PR professionals, we are expected to stay calm and cool during a client crisis, a major client project or a big announcement. It is important that clients feel you are in control and handling the project well. Although we must appear calm, on the inside we feel stressed out and freak out as much Continue Reading

12/06/12

Tis’ the season! It’s time for baking, listening to holiday music and decking the halls. But it’s also the perfect time to ramp up your PR efforts by pitching fun, creative story ideas to the media. With all the hustle and bustle of the season, reporters are often times looking for feel-good stories or feature Continue Reading

12/04/12

The New Year is almost upon us, and if you haven’t started talking about your 2013 communications plan, you’d better get started. Or, maybe you are one of the many organizations who experience annual planning fatigue – and every year’s plan is the same old template – lacking new ideas. An annual communications plan is Continue Reading

11/12/12

I thought you would enjoy this week’s Post Crescent column written about the advantages of making nice in the business world. Have you experienced bullying in the workplace? Do you ever feel like people aren’t as nice as they used to be? I encourage you to share your experiences. We’d love to hear from you. Click Continue Reading

08/29/12

The next time you’re in a conversation play a fun game – count the number of times someone is interrupted. It happens all the time, at work, at home, even at the grocery store. A couple of weeks ago I blogged about how our attention spans are shrinking due to constant multitasking in the pursuit Continue Reading

08/14/12

For those of you who might not know, I am a huge fan of gymnastics. I have loved everything about the sport ever since I was able to walk, but I never thought that watching this year’s Olympic coverage would teach me some valuable career lessons. Watching Jordyn Wieber’s reaction after not qualifying for the Continue Reading

08/10/12

With news coverage of a few notable cases of plagiarism in the past month, I’ve reflected on how lapses in journalism ethics can affect much more than just the individual perpetrator or the single organization for which he or she works. Jonah Lehrer, a well-regarded young journalist, recently resigned from his position at The New Continue Reading

07/24/12

I was reading a recent Harvard Business Review article about how in today’s world, we often reward speed. We want to be the first to break news, the first to come to market with a new product, the first to blog about our new idea, but doing something first doesn’t mean doing it best. Reflecting Continue Reading

07/13/12

  A few days ago marked the eighth birthday of my son, Jack. When we took him out to breakfast I told him about the day he was born which led to thoughts of where I was in my life at the time I was pregnant with him and then after I returned to work. Continue Reading

06/28/12

The big city lights were calling me. At least, I thought so. As I went through the job application process during my final semester at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, I set my sights on big, brand name corporations in Chicago, Los Angeles and New York. Whether in public relations, advertising or marketing, I thought my Continue Reading

06/13/12

Last week, the agency took a tour of local not-for-profit LEAVEN (Limited Emergency Assistance Valley Ecumenical Network). Some of us thought we knew what the community organization was all about, but we quickly realized LEAVEN touches more non-profits, people and causes than we ever thought. Since its inception in 1987, LEAVEN has been the ‘bridge Continue Reading

06/07/12

When developing a crisis management plan, how you are planning to communicate is not just an option, it is a necessity. By saying “No comment,” not saying anything at all, or simply issuing a written statement could raise a red flag about your credibility or keep people wondering what you are trying to hide. At Continue Reading

05/17/12

I had my eye on Red Shoes PR since I was a junior in college at UW Oshkosh in the fall of 2010. Who would have thought that a year-and-a-half after my first meeting with Karen (a senior account executive), I would have landed a job here? It’s quite a long story. Here it goes. Continue Reading

05/10/12

It’s (almost!) graduation season so I thought it would be helpful to put together a list of helpful hints for recent grads looking to make their way in public relations or a similar field. Here’s a list of important things to remember during an interview. 1. Stand when shaking someone’s hand. 2. Bring multiple copies Continue Reading

05/07/12

It’s been almost four years since Red Shoes PR opened its doors and we thought it was time to change up our website. While some of the content is the same, we focused on ramping things up a bit with more visuals and other modifications. Take a look and see what you think. While the Continue Reading

04/13/12

Seems like there is a bit of news and debate about what’s on women’s minds these days. And I suspect the volume is only going to crank up more as we approach fall. But somehow along the way I don’t see a lot of straight up commentary coming from women who are in the trenches, Continue Reading

04/11/12

  Don't know what a pay-for-play is? It's not uncommon for media outlets to utilize "pay-for plays" to generate advertising revenue under the guise of "covering" your company's story. What this means is that a sales rep, often misrepresenting the...

03/27/12

  It's not uncommon for us to meet with businesses and organizations who realize they need to pick up their PR efforts again and get them going. What we hear over and over is that since they let their PR efforts fall by the wayside, they then rea...

02/09/12

Four weeks ago, when I walked through the door at Red Shoes PR for my first day as the new intern, I wasn’t sure what to expect. I’ve always been told that no two days are the same when you work in public relations. Now, after nearly a mon...

01/24/12

Have you ever thought about firing your client? Well Paula Deen's PR rep recently fired the celebrity chef over the handling of her recent admission that she has diabetes. See New York Post story here. It had to be a difficult decision to end a six...

10/25/11

Does your organization have a crisis communications plan? Remember, you have time now to prepare a plan, not when you receive the bad news. Take a look at this presentation we gave at UW Fond du Lac this morning. It used to be that a major crisis would...

10/14/11

This blog is written by Karen Buckoski, senior account executive at Red Shoes PR. This Saturday, I’m going to be taking off to Orlando to attend the PRSA International Conference. I’m beyond excited to be representing Red Shoes PR among tho...

10/12/11

    We spend a lot of time trying to reach our target audiences, whether it's media through pitches, potential clients through networking or clients' customers through social media. It's easy to get caught up in the chase of follow...

09/22/11

Between news releases, media alerts, blogs, clients emails and other communications, proofing is constantly an important task that needs to be done throughout the day. It is easy to rush through this important step, especially on busy days. So, here a...

07/22/11

Through the years, I’ve had my fair share of talking with students and others looking to break into the industry about why they want to go into public relations. It always amazes me the variety of reasons that they express. PR is one of those ind...

07/07/11

  Sara Jeffers is an account coordinator with Red Shoes PR. As a young professional, I see the importance of attending events to further my professional growth. One of the events I attended this year was Leaderfest, a conference put on by various...

05/12/11

As a first-time manager, I'm always looking for advice on how to get the most of out my relationships with colleagues. In college I took plenty of PR classes, but somehow missed my university's offerings on management so my current tools consist of wha...

02/07/11

Sara Jeffers is an account coordinator at Red Shoes PR. The early bird gets the (media) worm. The New York Times recently followed Bobby Maldonado, an aid at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, as he ventured out into the streets of Washington D.C. before ...

01/26/11

This morning we had the opportunity to present to Well City, Fox Cities. The group was looking for some tips on how to engage employees in company’s wellness programs through communications. A few of the main points we went over included being consistent in your communications (in other words don’t start off with a bang Continue Reading

12/21/10

Sara Jeffers is an account coordinator with Red Shoes PR.I’ve watched the news as long as I can remember. Growing up, my parents used it as a way to unwind after work, and although us kids would’ve much rather been watching something fluf...

12/20/10

You might be a marketing director, a CEO or a VP and considering a stronger focus on your PR efforts. Perhaps you have been frustrated by the lack of coverage your company gets in the media. Maybe you are figuring out that your online presence amounts to nil and people can’t find you on the Continue Reading

12/16/10

Maria Heim, account executive for Red Shoes PR, shares a few thoughts on making a bad PR move for a short term gain. I was in St. Paul, Minn. for a funeral last weekend during the blizzard that hit the Midwest. On Saturday I was shocked to see a TV ne...

12/13/10

Karen Buckoski, senior account executive at Red Shoes PR, talks about the do's and don'ts when working with the media. Do understand what news is – and what it is notOur job as PR professionals is to help our clients determine what news is and wh...

11/12/10

Does your organization have a crisis communications plan? Remember, you have time now to prepare a plan, not when you receive the bad news. Take a look at this presentation we gave at UW Fond du Lac this morning. It used to be that a major crisis would happen every so often. Now with the Continue Reading

11/11/10

We spend a lot of time trying to reach our target audiences, whether it’s media through pitches, potential clients through networking or clients’ customers through social media. It’s easy to get caught up in the chase of following new trends and sometimes we lose sight of what works best. This is a reminder to not over think things and Continue Reading

11/06/10

Between news releases, media alerts, blogs, clients emails and other communications, proofing is constantly an important task that needs to be done throughout the day. It is easy to rush through this important step, especially on busy days. So, here are five tips to make sure you take the time to do a thorough job Continue Reading

11/04/10

Sara Jeffers is an account coordinator with Red Shoes PR.I’ve always loved to write. Not only was it required of me during college and internships, it was how I chose to spend my time in my personal life.  Looking back, I never thought a re...